Fixing everything: Harry Potter vs the World
by Iwik
Summary: Hogwarts' about to collapse, The Ministry corrupt as ever, the family that adopted him in taters and the rest of the Wizarding World isn't doing any better! Harry Potter awakens to a world in need of a hero again. Post Battle of Hogwarts with a slight change during the battle. The Master of Death is ready to shake the world awake, but can he do it all on his own?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I gain any money with this.**

 **Prologue**

 _1 June 1999_

Harry sat quietly in his office, eating lunch and thinking about Teddy's developing abilities, how nice it was to have his best friends back in England and that his life was getting in an upward curve. Well, apart from one thing.

Harry snorted, 'more like _one person_ than one thing' and the content feeling he had a minute ago slowly simmered away. Looking around his office, he checked his bookcase with DADA books he found useful, a Charms book his mother had stashed away at Godric's Hollow and made some adjustments in, a Transfiguration book of his father, who hadn't made any adjustments in it except for the occasional 'rubbish, just use …', Quidditch strategies and the latest pickup line he tried on 'The Love of His Life; The Sunshine of his Existence; or sometimes just The Most Wonderous Flower He'd Ever Meet'.

Tearing his eyes away from the bookcase, he checked the papers on his desk. He ignored the inquiries of Gringotts, hoping that Bill would be willing to help him out with those. Several Department Heads had also made some request about his opinion, ranging from issuing new chocolate frog cards to diplomatic relationships with Russia.

Harry rolled his eyes. How the Ministry functioned, or rather _didn't_ function, still astounded him after almost a year on the job. How inept and inefficient some wizards were still amazed him. Recalling Hermione's words from his first year he grinned. She'd been wrong back then. Not only the greatest wizards and witches lacked common sense, more like there were a few exceptions who _weren't_ missing it.

The pictures on his desk made him smile again. The newest additions caught his eye. Teddy in his arms, with Ron and Hermione next to him. At first, Teddy was mimicking Harry, but when he switched from Harry's arms to Hermione, he changed his hair to match Hermione's bushy style, only _red_. Ron had stuttered and ran for the loo after that and Andromeda had laughed her first hearty laugh since the battle.  
After months of deliberating, putting the picture on his desk and putting it away when Ron or any of his friends came in, he finally put the picture up with a Notice-Me-Not Charm on it. It was a picture of him and Ginny back in his sixth year, lounging in the Common Room. He had his arm around her and she was smiling and moving closer and closer to him, until they were almost going to kiss before the picture reset.

The noise outside his office was getting lauder, and he walked to it to close it, before he saw the poster next to his door. It was the Official 'Wanted'-list after the Battle of Hogwarts. Sixteen Death Eaters were at large and plotting something. Harry knew he wanted in on the capture, so instead of closing the door, he slowly opened it.

He could see clearly past the door now, the words _Ministry Adviser_ above his name and title _Harry Potter, Master of Death_ printed on it. The Auror Department seemed to be in full panic mode. People running into the fireplace, shouting a destination in Hogsmeade but instead of disappearing in the green flames they just tumbled out of the fire again. He snorted, they looked a lot like himself exiting the floo.

Spotting a familiar redhead sitting with his head in his hands, Harry stepped outside and went to the desk Ron was sitting. Putting a hand on his shoulder, He asked what was wrong.

The desperate look on his face when he looked up was all Harry needed, but he still listened to Ron recounting the information they had. "A Death Eater imperiused Edgecomb, who blocked the floo access to and from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Portkeys to Hogwarts and 50 miles around it won't work so we can't use those either. Other transportation needs authorization from four different Department Heads, which we don't have."

He stopped to breath, muttered " _Bloody bureaucrats_ " so only Harry heard. Then, he went on to tell the news Harry dreaded to hear.

"All the missing Death Eaters are about to enter Hogwarts Ground. I got a Patronus from Hermione ten minutes ago that they'd have fifteen minutes before they would be at the castle. McGonagall want to evacuate, but there are Dementors in Hogsmeade so she's out of options."

Ron's boss, Robarts, shouted for Ron to come over so he rushed off, obviously not thinking rationally Harry thought sardonically. As he stepped back in his office, he opened his drawer to find the ring he was searching for ready. As he put it on, he felt the magic humming around his hand. He'd pulled the cloak from the couch he dumped it on and pulled the hood over his head, activating the magic to conceal himself. Finally, he put his Holly wand in the holster on his arm and hissed softly.

 _"_ _Appear"_

The command was followed with a cabinet appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the room, where Harry had placed the Elder wand every day he knew he wasn't going into the field.

 _"Open"_

The drawer opened and Harry picked up the last Hallow to complete the trio. Power surged through his right hand, arm and finally his whole body as the three items responded to their Masters' need.

Ready for action, Harry changed into his form, grimly thinking that he'd prefer his Animagus debut was a happier occasion. With a howl, he felt his form shimmer and disappear. When his body, still invisible thanks to the cloak, appeared he saw that the fifteen minutes Hermione gave Ron were highly exaggerated.

Jumping into action and transforming back, he put a shield between the fighting groups. As far as he could see nobody died yet, but Hermione was on the ground. She was shallowly breathing and her robes were drenched with blood. Ernie McMillan had his arm bend from the wrong angle, Parvati and Lavender were both holding each other up, Flitwick had blood pouring from his right eye socket while Dean, Luna and Seamus sported injuries as well but had their Patroni out to protect the group from the large Dementors coming from the village. McGonagall stared at the shield, as did the Death Eaters, searching for the source.

Only two Death Eaters were still fighting a student, the others trying to breach his shield. Thinking quickly, Harry stepped between the spellfire and cancelled the spells in midair as Harry pulled off his hood.

The reaction was comically, had the situation not been this dire. Gasps from both camps, some elated shouts of "Harry!" and two curses flew at him. Harry sidestepped them both with ease.

One came from the Death Eater Harry identified as Rodolphus Lestrange.

The other came from the last student fighting, Ginny Weasley.

Smiling, Harry turned to Ginny, who looked horrified. "Hello love, mind bringing them inside while I crash this party?" Harry asked, gesturing to the injured professors and students.

Numb, out of shock that Harry was here or that he was actually smiling at her, she just nodded and went to help the group back inside. Harry extended his shield so Rodolphus couldn't try to curse him again and watched their progress. As they were almost inside, Ginny turned around with an unreadable expression on her face.

"We'll be having a talk after this Potter!" She shouted, before following the rest inside and closing the door behind her.

With a predatory smile, Harry faced his opponents. All missing Death Eaters were here, finally striking after months of planning. Quietly, Harry said to himself, "Looking forward to it Weasley".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1.**

May 2st 1998 03:50

 _"_ _You've been so brave."_

His mother's voice boosted his confidence like nothing ever did before. Taking in her form, he wanted to hug her but knew it was impossible.

 _"_ _You are nearly there," said James. "Very close. We are . . . so proud of you."_

Harry nodded, then voiced the question that has been bothering him since he knew he would be dying soon.

 _"_ _Does it hurt?"_

 _"_ _Dying? Not at all," said Sirius. "Quicker and easier than falling asleep."_

 _"_ _And he will want it to be quick. He wants it over," said Lupin._

 _"_ _I didn't want you to die," Harry said. These words came without his volition. "Any of you. I'm sorry -"_

 _He addressed Lupin more than any of them, beseeching him._

 _"_ _\- right after you'd had your son . . . Remus, I'm sorry -"_

 _"_ _I am sorry too," said Lupin. "Sorry I will never know him . . . but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."_

Harry nodded, thinking that he was about to leave Teddy behind, like Sirius had left him behind when he died at the Department of Mysteries. 'At least Teddy still has a grandmother,' he thought and couldn't help but think of Neville.

 _"_ _You'll stay with me?"_

 _"_ _Until the very end," said James._

 _"_ _They won't be able to see you?" asked Harry._

 _"_ _We are part of you," said Sirius. "Invisible to anyone else."_

 _Harry looked at his mother._

 _"_ _Stay close to me," he said quietly._

Nearing the forest, Harry felt the Dementor's nearby. Unlike previously, he didn't hear his parents dying voices, how hopeless his task was or Fred dying. The presence of his parents, Sirius and Remus kept that away from him. It felt like his entire being was being filled with courage by walking with them to his destiny.

He noticed two figures standing nearby a tree. Recognizing them as Yaxley and Dolohov, Harry slowly moved near them, knowing they were sent to keep an eye out for him.

 _"_ _Definitely heard something," said Yaxley. "Animal, d'you reckon?"_

 _"_ _That head case Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here," said Dolohov, glancing over his shoulder._ Harry felt a shimmer of rage when but quickly suppressed it, knowing he didn't have time to defend Hagrid's honour.

 _"_ _Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."_

 _"_ _Better go back," said Yaxley. "Find out what the plan is now."_

 _He and Dolohov turned and walked deeper into the forest._ Harry recognized the clearing with a feeling of nostalgia. In his second year he thought he and Ron would die right there and then, but Mr. Weasley's Ford saved the day then. Now, nothing would be able to save him.

 _Every eye was fixed upon Voldemort, who stood with his head bowed, and his white hands folded over the Elder Wand in front of him. He might have been praying, or else counting silently in his mind, and Harry, standing still on the edge of the scene, though absurdly of a child counting in a game of hide-and-seek._

 _When Dolohov and Yaxley rejoined the circle, Voldemort looked up._

 _"_ _No sign of him, my Lord," said Dolohov._

Voldemort continued to play with the Elder Wand.

 _"_ _My Lord -"_ Bellatrix said, but Voldemort silenced her with his hand.

 _"_ _I thought he would come," said Voldemort in his high, clear voice, his eyes on the leaping flames. "I expected him to come."_

The Death Eaters seemed scared to say anything, much more scared than Harry felt at the moment. His heart was throbbing, but that was more because he knew what was going to happen than actual fear of death. Slowly, he pulled off his Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it in his pocket, next to his wand.

 _"_ _I was, it seems . . . mistaken," said Voldemort._

 _"_ _You weren't."_

Harry stepped forward into the firework, still flanked by his parents, Sirius and Remus. This was it. Voldemort and his remaining Death Eaters versus Harry and his dead family. Softly, Harry snorted. It didn't matter who Voldemort brought to this meeting, it was just about the two of them, and Harry knew the outcome. He was going to die and protect everyone against the sick bastard before him.

Harry noticed the -still breathing- still form of Hagrid tied against a tree, absently thinking about all the times his large friend was there for him. His first friend, who'd shown him the wonders of the Magical world. Deep down, he felt grateful that Hagrid was there at the end, but even more grateful that Hagrid wasn't about to witness Harry's own demise.

Voldemort looked at him curiously, as if he wasn't sure what to make of the boy in front of him. Seeming to judge him, he mockingly laughed softly and whispered, 'Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.'

 _None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: Everything was waiting. Bellatrix was panting_ from excitement, while Lucius looked incredulous that he'd actually showed up.

 _Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly,_ while his parents were still watching him, their gaze full of pride, with Sirius smirking at him and Remus with a soft, regretful smile on his face. If only he'd had one more kiss from Ginny, like on his birthday. He imagined her form before him, the soft feeling of her lips and her tongue lightly brushing against his lips, begging for access before he let her –

A green light filled his vision and everything went black.

 **Everything in italics is straight from the book. I tried to work around it as much as possible, but I really, really, really needed some lines from there. Hope you won't be bothered too much by it. Let me know what you think so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything profitable in general.**

 **Chapter 2.**

May 2nd, 9:30.

Harry fell on his bed, exhausted from explaining everything to Ron, Hermione, Kingsley, McGonagall, the Order and the DA. They'd a right to know he figured. Before he could call Kreacher to ask for a sandwich or 10, sleep claimed him.

 _Harry opened his eyes and noticed the same white vastness he saw Tom hit him with the Avada Kedavra. However, he wasn't at King's Cross and to his immense relief he noticed this time he had some clean clothes on. If he had to describe the room he'd say he was in the Room of Requirement, just like it was during DA practice._

 _'_ _Hello…. Harry Potter,' A raspy voice said from behind him._

 _Honed reflexes from Quidditch practice and living in the wild for 9 months made him spin on his feet, wand at the ready and a_ Stupefy _ready to blast whoever snuck up behind him—_

 _Only to see Albus Dumbledore standing there, looking amused. He wore his signature purple robes and the twinkle was present in his eyes again. His companion however, Harry assumed he was the one who greeted him, was donned in all black._

 _Surprisingly, he looked exactly like Ron described Death to look like in the tale of the Three Brothers from Beedle the Bard. Hollow eyes, grey skin, black robes which could be used to scare people to death if he flailed his arms a bit, the same fabric as his_ Invisibility Cloak _hung over those black robes but did nothing to conceal him and he was leaning on a large Elder staff._

 _Knowing nothing intelligent to say, Harry said the first thing that popped up in his mind._

 _'_ _Am I dead?'_

 _Dumbledore's smile grew even more, and he let out a mirthful chuckle. Death also grinned, 'No actually._ _ **I**_ _am Death.' At that, Dumbledore's chuckle turned into a booming laugh, and even Harry had to smile at the terrible joke._

 _'_ _Nice to meet you. Nice to see you as well, professor.'_

 _'_ _Same to you my boy. This is a far happier occasion than the last time. I know my portrait congratulated you, but let me say congratulations in person as well. You exceeded every expectation I had, and even then some my boy.' Dumbledore said with a proud smile on his face. Death nodded in agreement, and Dumbledore eyed him for a moment before continuing,_

 _'_ _However, there are some things we need to discuss. I know my portrait advised you to place the Elder Wand in my tomb, and to hide the Resurrection Stone, but I would like to voice my, sorry_ _ **our**_ _opinion about doing that when you wake up.'_

 _Harry nodded, seeing Death in his dream already gave him some suspicion what this meeting was about and this just confirmed it. Despite Snape's insistence, Harry wasn't lacking in the brains' compartment, just the ability to write long essays and the fact that trouble followed him everywhere during his school years made him a just above average student._

 _Death spread his arms, 'It has been a couple of centuries since the Hallows,_ _ **My Hallows**_ _, have been united. To scatter them carelessly after a power struggle of this magnitude would be –_

 _'_ _Ill-advised' Dumbledore interjected helpfully. Death looked annoyed at him._

 _'_ _I was going for terrible, wasteful, dreadful, horrible, appalling not to mention STUPID,' Death roared in Dumbledore's face, his raspy voice getting louder every word that spilled from his ghostly lips. Harry watched the by-play with wide eyes._

 _"_ _Never thought I'd see the day a Deity lost his cool in front of me," he thought. Dumbledore and Death turned to him, Dumbledore amused and Death looking calculated. Then it occurred to him, because this was his dream, his figment of imagination, they could hear his thoughts._

 _'_ _Only when you advocate them as loudly as you did my boy,' Dumbledore said, still smiling. How he could be this amused stumped Harry. Then, Death just walked towards Harry and continued to scrutinize him. Harry absentmindedly wondered how he could be this interesting for such an all-powerful being._

 _'_ _You've been told I can hear your thoughts 4 seconds ago and yet you still ask such stupid questions,' Death whispered. 'You united the Hallows, making you my_ _ **Master**_ _. Yet here we are, your mentor and I, having to_ _ **convince**_ _you to keep one of the most powerful magical items in the world, instead of discarding them like some_ _ **BROKEN SNEAKOSCOPE**_ _.' Death was getting agitated, but Harry firmly stood his ground and glared back._

 _'_ _Well, it's not that I went looking for them did I? The Cloak's a family heirloom, the Stone a gift from Dumbledore and the Wand I didn't even know I possessed until I faced down Tom.'_

 _Death silently watched Harry, no longer agitated, but more curious. After a while, he said 'You really aren't scared of me, are you?'_

 _Harry shook his head._

 _'_ _Why not?'_

 _Harry stared in the hollow eyes of Death, contemplating his answer. After thinking for a while, and a glance at Dumbledore, he smiled. 'Because, for the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'_

 _Death's lips turned slightly upwards, nodding as if he agreed. He turned to Dumbledore, 'You taught him well.' Dumbledore shook his head, 'No, if anything, he is a very remarkable student, if a little bit reckless every once in a while.'_

 _Harry's shocked 'Hey!' was ignored, as Death nodded his head. He turned to Harry, 'Fine, here's the deal. Keep the Hallows, discard the Hallows, you're still Master of Death. It will just make your life harder if you face the challenges ahead without them.'_

 _Dumbledore cleared his throat, 'As much as I'd like to dispute his words, he's right Harry. You will face hardships, because your character doesn't allow you to ignore the pleas of the innocent.' Seeing Harry's slightly hurt look, he quickly added, 'Mind, that is not a flaw, but rather one of your greatest strengths.'_

 _Harry stayed pensive for a moment, frowning as he mulled things over. His life wouldn't be easy after Voldemort after all. So much for having a quiet, normal life. Inwardly, he snorted. He knew that was an impossible dream, reporters, rabid fans and vengeful enemies would see to that._

 _'_ _Someone once told me that the time would come when I needed to choose between what was right and what was easy.' Smiling about his decision, 'His advice never let me astray, why would I ignore him now?'_

 _A tear ran down Dumbledore's cheek, and in a choked voice, 'Thank you my boy. I'm very touched.' Like last time Dumbledore told him that, Harry thought it better to give the man he saw as his grandfather a moment to collect himself. Apparently, Death agreed as he started talking._

 _'_ _Of course, keeping the Hallows won't be only hardships and sorrow. We,' He gestured to himself and Dumbledore, 'will train you in magic you can't even fathom right now. Foolish wand movements won't matter anymore, incantations will become a waste of breath and magical principles will be thrown in the trash by the things you will accomplish.'_

 _Harry was forcefully reminded of his first Potions' class and grinned. "This could actually be fun."_

 _Dumbledore had regained his composure and took over again, 'Harry, the training will be most effective if we start right away, because your body is recovering from the ordeals you faced the last 9 months, and let's not forget that your body is yours wholly again for the first time in almost 17 years. Your magic isn't preserving a Horcrux, so after you wake up you'll be considerably stronger.'_

 _Harry nodded, ready to start, when Dumbledore dropped his last bombshell._

 _'_ _I estimate you will need at least a month and at the most 5. There is quite a lot we want to teach you, and it'll be tough. You will also be missing out on some things in the real world, for example the funerals that will be held in a couple of days and your friends will panic for a while because they will be unable to wake or move you. It is my hope however, that my portrait will reassure them or else Madame Pomfrey will.'_

 _When he noticed Harry's alarmed expression, he quickly tried to alleviate his feelings, 'With the Resurrection Stone you can personally meet all those that fell after they've been buried. I know for a fact that none blame you, and will be able to give you some advice when you need it. However, they cannot release your loneliness or give you the family you always desired. You'll have to do something about that yourself, or with the help from your friends.' He said in a knowing voice._

 _Harry nodded again, 'Alright, so what do you propose we do first?'_

 _Death grinned, 'Every Master of Death has been an Animagus. Not because it was necessary, but because he could. It would be a shame if you broke that tradition,' Death winked, 'or at least that's what your father and godfather said.'_

 _Harry's eyes went wide, it had been his dream to honor his father and godfather by becoming an Animagus. 'When do we start? Do I get to choose which animal I become?' He said excited. Already, adrenaline was pumping through his body, anticipating flight, running through a forest on four legs, swimming at high speed in the Dark Lake. He grimaced, 'It's not going to be some stupid bug or an octopus or something?'_

 _Death laughed, and even Dumbledore smiled. 'No Master Harry, you'll find your form to be fitting for your title. It will be a magical creature. The Master of Death cannot be claimed by me, as I am your servant, and there are many mysteries surrounding its powers still. You will be able to travel instantly, and it's not stopped by Anti-Apparation Wards.'_

 _Dumbstruck, Harry exclaimed, 'I'm going to be Phoenix Animagus?'_

 _A feral grin appeared on Death's face, 'No, but I think you'll enjoy this form just as much.'_

 _Dumbledore took over the lecture and Harry's shocked face slowly morphed into concentration, and within moments he was practicing magic he never thought he was capable of._

 **That's all for now. I do hope you enjoyed the story so far. Let me know what you think! For those reviewing, I'd like to respond to your messages, so if possible please login or enable PM's. I'd like to thank whoever is following/favorite this little story so far. Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters**

 **Chapter 3.**

 _August 20_

Harry woke up with a start, gasping for air. He noticed he'd fallen asleep with his glasses on, as he could see the Gryffindor dorm perfectly. Absentmindedly, he thought about the lessons of Dumbledore and Death, and wondered if he should correct his eyesight. Eventually he decided against it, because _she_ liked his glasses. Her memory made Harry grin, but it quickly vanished as he took in the state of the room. It was like it hadn't been repaired at all. His bed had scorch marks on them and only Ron's was still standing. The others were reduced to firewood. The window only had half the glass remaining and the shards were spread across the floor.

'What's going on? Dumbledore and Death thought it would take about a month for them to fix all damage to the castle.'

Harry got out of bed, quickly took a shower in the one working till, put on some semi-clean clothes, his cloak, pocketed the ring and wand, while extending his pocket slightly with his magic so he wouldn't accidentally break it. Looking into a cracked mirror, he noticed he was still visible, even though he was wearing the cloak. He smirked, that meant he had full control over the Hallow and he could activate and deactivate it whenever suited him.

He activated the cloak, ran down the stairs, climbed through the portrait hole, and ran down the stairs to the Headmasters' Office. "Headmistress," he chastised himself in his head. Dumbledore had been adamant about the fact that it was now McGonagall's.

The rest of the castle wasn't in a better shape than his dorm, Harry sadly observed. Most of the paintings were abandoned, windows were shattered, doors were unhinged and he had to dodge rubble every other step. Once or twice he had to adjust his route because a stairway was too damaged to use. Harry was glad at least most of the blood and all the bodies were removed.

Arriving at the Gargoyle, Harry waved the Elder Wand and thought about his intention to see McGonagall. The Gargoyle had a blue faint outline for a second before nodding and leaped to give Harry access to the staircase. Harry slowly walked up the revolving staircase, worrying about the state he was going to find the Office in. There were a couple of people in the office, if the number of muffled voices was any indication.

Harry knocked and entered the office without waiting for a response he entered the room. A gasp and several exclamations of his name greeted him. There stood Headmistress McGonagall (that title would take some getting used to), Madam Pomfrey, Professors Flitwick, Slughorn and Sprout.

McGonagall took the lead, 'Mr. Potter! I am glad to see you're back on your feet. I feared you wouldn't wake in time to say goodbye to the school,' she ended her sentence sadly.

Harry was shocked, Hogwarts' closing? 'What do you mean, say goodbye?'

McGonagall sighed and seemed to age 10 years. If Harry hadn't known better, he wouldn't have identified the witch before him with the one fighting Voldemort just a couple of months ago. 'The Ministry deemed the damage too grave to repair. It would require more Galleons than they'd like to spare at the moment.'

Slughorn nodded sadly, Flitwick had his gaze on the ground and clenched his fists while Sprout cursed softly. Madam Pomfrey was busy waving her wand over Harry's head and seemed to ignore the talk around her.

Harry mulled this over, but frankly he couldn't make sense of it all. 'I don't understand. Kingsley should know better!' He finally said.

McGonagall looked confused, then understanding dawned. In a bitter tone she explained, 'Harry, you've been in a coma for almost 4 months, Kingsley was appointed Interim Minister on May 2nd, but when he refused to tell the public how exactly you defeated Voldemort, nor did he let reporters to your room he was immediately fired by the Wizengamot. He's now awaiting his trial for "dubious activities during the war" in Azkaban.'

Suddenly, the remaining glasses started to vibrate, a gust tore through the room and the few silver trinkets of Dumbledore levitated of their shelves and started to orbit around Harry. Harry's eyes flashed violently green and dangerous, his shoulders tensed and he clenched his fists in frustration. In a strangled voice, he asked, 'You mean to tell me, that after 9 months of running, hurting and STARVATION, it only took them 4 months to turn everything into shite AGAIN.'

When nobody responded Harry roared in frustration, the glasses shattered and the some of the trinkets exploded. This seemed to calm Harry down, as the gust subsided and the remaining trinkets fell out of the air.

'Don't worry. I'll fix that,' he said in a strangled voice. Then, he straightened and eyed everyone in the room. In a more confident tone he said, 'In fact, I'll fix _everything_. If you want to watch the fireworks, I'll be at the Lake.'

With that, he held the Elder wand up and the Sorting Hat flew to his hand. Then, he turned on his feet and left the room, 3 more destinations clear in his mind.

Transforming in his Animagus form, he traveled to the 7th floor in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He scanned the floor and quickly found a black tar-like substance sticking on it. "Intention matters, nothing else," he repeated in his mind.

' _Reparo'_

The tar like substance remained just that and Harry deflated. Then, he remembered the ring and put it on. Immediately, Harry felt more power flow through him. Focusing on the task at hand, he tried again.

' _Reparo'_

The substance began to bubble and slowly started to turn back into a diadem. After a minute the diadem was restored to his former glory. Just to be certain, Harry waved a pattern above the diadem to check if even a fragment of the Horcrux remained.

Satisfied with his findings, he picked up the diadem, transformed again and traveled to the Chamber of Secrets. There, he repeated the process with the Cup Ron had discarded after Hermione destroyed it.

Finally, he transformed again, traveled to the Grounds, where he pulled out Slytherin's locket from his pouch and restored that as well. The remaining teachers had joined him outside and were eyeing him curiously. Harry ignored them and turned his ring 3 times on his finger and 4 shades surrounded him.

Two wizards, two witches. Their images couldn't be more different. Gryffindor donned in Red and gold, with his sword at his side looked regal and proud. Slytherin was observing the Grounds and Hogwarts with a mixed look of disgust and disappointment. Ravenclaw was observing Harry and Hufflepuff looked like she was about to cry with all the destruction around her.

'Welcome back Founders, I hope you're enjoying your time back here at Hogwarts,' Harry said cynically. The four turned to him, all looking annoyed.

'Why have you summoned us child?' Slytherin asked.

Harry sighed, 'I need your help. The Ministry doesn't want to fund the repairs needed for the school and is corrupt once again. I could fix it alone, but that would drain my magic and might put me back in a coma.'

'What can we do to help?' Hufflepuff asked, eagerly moving forward.

'I have collected items for all of you that meant something to you when you were still alive,' Harry said as he gestured to the 4 items, 'so I was hoping you could channel some of your magic into it, that I could borrow to repair the school.' Then as an afterthought, he added, 'Oh, if you happen to know a spell that could repair the castle and everything inside at once, well I wouldn't mind you sharing.'

Ravenclaw snorted, 'You're asking for a lot boy.' Seeing Harry was about to protest, 'but do not worry. We want our legacy preserved, so I'm in. I'm glad you found my diadem, even though I cursed its existence at the end of my life.' She laughed bitterly at that, then pulled out her wand and started syphoning her magic in the diadem.

'Oh, and the incantation _Reparo Draco Dormiens Totalum_ should do the trick.' She winked at Harry, 'Made that one myself. Wanted to have a simple means to repair the school in case we were attacked.'

Gryffindor, who had turned to the Sorting Hat and was already putting his magic in it, chuckled. 'Yeah, and the hundreds of hours you spend in my private library for that spell was so worth it in the end, wasn't it Rav-Rav?'

Ravenclaw turned red, 'Don't call me that in public!' Harry was strangely reminded of Ron and Lavender, and felt a little sick.

Hufflepuff smiled, syphoning her magic in her cup, 'Guys, focus on the task at hand. The lad needs our help and _I_ certainly want a new set of 'Puffs sorted before I die of old age _again_.'

Slytherin was also putting his magic in his locket, but he was frowning. 'Boy, this was done by my descendant?' Harry nodded, and Slytherin sighed. 'Figures I get the crazy ones. Cunning and ambitious, my arse. There's a difference between cunning and loathsome. Attacking a school with minors,' he spat on the floor with disgust. He eyed Harry up and down, 'You were in my House, were you not, Young Parseltongue?'

Harry grinned, 'Gryffindor actually, but I had to fight the Hat for that.' Gryffindor cheered, while Slytherin looked even more annoyed, yet he didn't stop his magic flowing into the locket.

When all four items were glowing their respective House colors, the Founders disappeared and Harry focused on the incantation, his intention and Hogwarts.

' _Reparo Draco Dormiens Totalum!'_

A deafening roar echoed the grounds, reminding Harry of his Fourth year, followed by a loud rumble. The stones of Hogwarts grinded against each other, fallen boulders reattached themselves to the structure, windows were put back together, wooden beams were renewed and flew back into place. Towers were rebuilt, staircases repaired and classrooms were put into place again. When that was done, the broken tables, portraits, closets, cupboards were put back the way they were.

Finally, Harry used the last of the magic of the Founders to clear the Grounds. Harry turned to the teachers, panting slightly, 'that was harder than I thought. Everything is repaired again, so you can open Hogwarts for the upcoming year.'

Harry winked at McGonagall, 'that is, if Filch can clean the entire castle before that date.'

Laughing, he apparated away, leaving a stunned audience.

Slughorn started to laugh, his belly bouncing with the rhythm, 'Ho ho ho, that's all James though. Lily never talked to a teacher like that! That boy will go far.'

McGonagall was gaping like a goldfish, opening and closing her mouth with no sound coming out.

Recovered, Flitwick had pulled out his wand and started on some basic incantations to protect Hogwarts. Sprout snapped her fingers in front of McGonagall's face to get her attention. 'I'm going to the Greenhouses, the plants need to be taken care of. I trust you can owl the rest of the teachers and the students that Hogwarts will be opening?'

McGonagall nodded and started her trek towards the Owlery, muttering with a small smile, 'That boy is going to be the death of me.'

 **That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **I want to thank everyone who fav/follows the story, every reviewer and basically everyone who took their time reading it. I've had several questions about the pairings. If you haven't read my profile (who does that anyway?), I very much like the canon pairings, but that doesn't mean they'll magically just happen. Much has happened, more will happen and happy endings are so much better if the protagonist has to work for it, right? I'm not spoiling** ** _if_** **there will be a happy ending, but** ** _if_** **that happens, they'll be canon.**

 **1 reviewer in particular, has expressed her distaste in the pairing but I really don't know , I have no idea what a Night/Shadow Phoenix is, so no, that's not his animagus form. I don't think I've ever seen this animagus form with Harry before, but then again, there are over 700k stories, so who really knows?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Do not own or gain anything with this.

 **Chapter 4.**

Harry appeared before a black house with dirty windows, grimy walls and a battered door. He smiled, the first time he laid his eyes on this building he'd never thought this would be his first own home. Fearing the worst, he tentatively opened the door and entered. To Harry's great relief, the curse Mad-Eye had placed in the hall appeared to have run its course, as the dusty Dumbledore didn't appear.

Apparently, his fears were for naught. As far as he could see, Grimmauld Place was left just the way it was when he, Ron and Hermione left to raid the Ministry. "Maybe Bellatrix insisted on leaving it intact," he mused. He entered the basement kitchen, which he hadn't used since his fifth year, when they were waiting on news about Mr. Weasley's condition.

"Kreacher!"

 _*Plop*_

"Master Harry is awake! Kreacher has been worried for months." Kreacher said as he groveled for Harry's feet. Not touching him but staying just close enough to be in Harry's personal space.

"None of that "Master" stuff, it's Harry. And stand up, I won't have you bowing for me," Harry said sternly. Kreacher shot to his feet and bobbed his head.

"I want to thank you for your help at Hogwarts, you didn't have to be there and still you fought bravely. Regulus would be proud."

Kreacher's' eyes became moist at that and he puffed his chest out a little, "Thank you Master Harry, Kreacher is glad he could help end noble Master Regulus's work."

"Did the Death Eaters destroy anything in the house? Do you need my help repairing anything?"

Kreacher shook his head violently, his ears flailing wildly, "Oh no Master Harry, Kreacher sealed the house and went to Hogwarts to work in the kitchen. Because Kreacher is not a Hogwarts elf Kreacher could sneak food into the Common Rooms without breaking the rules."

Harry smiled at that, they'd underestimated Elf Magic again. "Good job Kreacher, I'm sure they appreciated that." Seeing the little Elf before him, he figured he might as well figure out if he knew what happened the past months. Kreacher acknowledged his request and started talking.

"Master Weasley had someone by your bed the first two months, then the Ministry tried to move Master." He looked Harry up and down, "Master's magic reacted violently, threw them out. Ministry then decreed nobody was allowed near you, except Madam Pomfrey. Miss Granger left a letter in Kreacher's safekeeping."

The letter materialized before Harry, "Thanks Kreacher! I'll read it now, can you make something to eat? I'm famished. Oh, and don't call me Master."

Kreacher bowed, "Of course Master Harry. Dinner will be served in an hour," and with a soft plop he disapparated.

Shaking his head in exasperation, Harry sat down on the closest chair, remembering how cute he thought it was seeing a certain red-head sitting there curled like a cat that night. He opened the letter, in hopes of good news.

 _June 4_

 _Dear Harry,_

 _If you're reading this, Ron and I haven't returned from Australia yet and you've woken up from your coma. I'm so sorry we couldn't wait for you, but the Ministry was talking about closing the borders and I couldn't leave my parents without their memories for too long (according to Confusius' Second Law, the longer you wait with restoring memories, the harder it is for the patient). Not to mention that I miss them terribly, I can only imagine how you cope without yours._

 _I hope we'll be back before September 1_ _st_ _, but as it looks like Hogwarts isn't opening anytime soon, we might stay there longer to make the transition easier for my parents. I also think it would be good for Ron to be away from daily reminders of Fred. The Weasleys are taking their loss hard Harry. During the funeral Mrs. Weasley collapsed, George didn't even seem to notice, Ron cried hard and Ginny clung to me the entire day (not exaggerating, she even followed me to the bathroom). Mr. Weasley and the eldest three tried to hold them together, but they're hurting as well._

 _The Burrow's ransacked. When they found out Ron was with us and the Weasley's left for Aunt Muriel, the Death Eaters took out their anger on the Burrow. They'll be starting the repairs somewhere in August I think._

 _Things are looking gloomy Harry. I don't know what to do without you. Kingsley's been cast aside as Interim Minister and everyone who stayed in the Ministry is being held under suspicion, like Mr. Weasley, Percy and Tonks. It's starting to look a lot like the end of the first war, but without you nobody will listen to me or other DA members, the Order isn't functioning with their leaders occupied, imprisoned or d-d-dead (Kingsley, McGonagall, Remus)._

 _Let me know when you wake up._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

 _Ps: Ron says not to mope, nothing that happened is your fault and he'll knock your lights out again if you're brooding about when we get back. He also said to visit the family, they're anxiously waiting for news from you._

"Damn, it's worse than I thought." Checking the clock, he noted that he had at least half an hour before dinner would be ready. Making up his mind he shouted, "Kreacher, I'll be going to the Burrow for a minute, I'll be back before dinner." Without waiting for a response he disapparated.

Knowing it was rude to Apparate into a house, Harry focused on Mr. Weasley's tool shed. Within moments the inside of the shed came into focus and he could see the Burrow standing in the distance from a small window. It appeared that the Weasley's were just starting to fix the damage, as several redheaded figures were walking and waving their wands around the damaged structure.

Harry started walking towards the door, when it opened from the other side. Pulling his wand, just in case, the object of his affections walked in.

"Ginny," he breathed. Her smell attacked his nostrils, her enticing red hair flickered in the fading sunlight and her Butterbeer colored eyes hypnotized him on spot. Yet when she spotted him, her breath hitched, her eyes hardened and she scowled.

"Oh Merlin, I don't have time for this," she grumbled as she pulled her wand. Harry's eyes widened.

"Gi-Ginny? What are you doing? I came here to -," he stuttered. She'd never pulled her wand on him before, and memories of being abused by the Dursley unconsciously came to surface.

"Don't talk to me, you abomination!" She snarled. She swiped her wand in an arc and started an incantation.

" _R-"_

Before she could finish the spell her wand flew to Harry's outstretched hand. Heartbroken, he stared at it.

"I see," he said. He stood still, not knowing what to do. Neither did Ginny, as her mouth was open and if he could judge her face correctly, she looked a little scared.

Then, she started to laugh hysterically.

'At least that's one thing clear,' He thought. 'So she doesn't want anything to do with me.'

Figuring he owed the Weasley's at least that much, he threw her wand at her feet, nodded his head to Ginny who started to hiccup during her laugh, but she had closed her eyes and didn't notice him disapparated with a crack.

Back at Grimmauld Place, Harry started searching the library. He had 15 minutes before dinner, so he figured he'd better make good use of them.

"Kreacher, seal the house again from everyone currently in Britain. That includes Owl Post, except from the Ministry!" Then he turned around to the shelves and started looking for useful books. Getting annoyed with the menial task, he pulled out his wand again.

 _"_ _Accio Taboo Book!"_ Three books flew from the shelves and hovered before him. He plucked them out the air and placed them on the table.

'If Voldemort can cast a Taboo over the United Kingdom, I should be able to Taboo _her name_ around me,' Harry thought morosely, and flipped open the first book as he sat down at the table.

 _Next Day_

Harry Apparated back to the Burrow. After thinking everything through last night, he realized he owed the Weasleys' too much to leave them hanging, even if he'll never have Ginny again. Of course, this doesn't mean he had to face them right now, as he owns the best Invisibility Cloak known to man. Quietly, he sneaks into the kitchen, to observe the family he once thought would be his as well.

What he found out shocked him to the core. None of the Weasley's were functioning. Mrs. Weasley wasn't cooking, only crying and stayed in her room alone. Mr. Weasley didn't go to work and stared at the kitchen table before sleeping on the couch. Bill and Fleur had moved back to the Burrow, to help out with the housekeeping, but were failing miserably. Charlie went out flying every day but seemed even more agitated every time he came back. Percy had huge bags under his eyes and just sat outside, ignoring the world. He hadn't even changed from the robes he wore during the Battle, if the smell was any indication. George had a bottle of Firewhiskey glued to his hand and was seen drinking the entire day.

All in all, things were beyond terrible.

When everyone went to sleep, Harry started planning how to help them. He quietly cast a _Scourgify_ to clean the ground floor. Dishes were cleaned, dust disappeared, filthy clothes looked bright new and as far as he could see, the Burrow looked like it did before Bill and Fleur's wedding. As he sat down at the kitchen table, he started to compile a list what to do.

"One down, 10 problems to go." Harry thought sardonically, when he finished with his task. He was just about to Apparate back to Grimmauld Place when he heard a faint whimper. Before it would wake everyone up, Harry quickly ran up the stairs to the room he only visited once. As quietly as he could he opened the door to find Ginny thrashing about in her bed, obviously having a nightmare.

Not wanting to wake her and see her hate filled glare again, Harry conjured a stuffed animal and placed it in her arms, while adding some charms to keep her nightmares away. When Ginny calmed down, he softly smiled at her sleeping form and left the room.

'If I can make her sleep peacefully again, it'll all be worth it.' He thought before disappearing with a faint plop.

All his carefully laid plans were delayed however, when the next day he found a Summons before the Wizengamot for "Vigilante Behaviour; Breaking into the Ministry of Magic, Using Dark Magic, Breaking into Gringotts, Cold-Blooded Murder and Altering a Historical Site".

 **That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed the story so far! Thanks for the follows/favs and reviews! Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters.

 **Chapter 5.**

Harry knew how to Apparate silently. It costs a lot of power and determination, but he could do it if he wanted to. Today was not one of these days. With as much force as he could muster he blasted through the still weak wards of the Ministry. Landing in front of the despicable fountain, he scowled and pulled out the Elder Wand. His anger fueling his magic, Harry cast the strongest vanishing spell he knew and the entire fountain disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the Atrium.

He turned around, with his cloak fluttering behind him like a cape. None of the Ministry workers dared to stop him and the crowd parted for him like the Red Sea did for Moses. Absentmindedly he wondered why he hadn't entered the Ministry like this last September. Then he noticed all the people staring at him, some with awestruck faces but most backed away in fear. 'Right, bad idea for a stealthy break-in' He thought. Harry entered the elevators and waited till it stopped at the Courtroom floors.

Harry huffed, "Just wait till they see what I'm about to do, that'll give them something to be scared off." And continued to walk to the Courtrooms. As he saw the doors coming into view, he also noted the first group of people not fleeing by the mere sight of him. He recognized Dawlish, the idiot Auror who tried to take down Dumbledore and capture Hagrid and failed to incapacitate Mrs. Longbottom. Harry grinned, he had no problem at all to deal with this idiot and his merry band of followers.

Stopping just a few feet away from Dawlish and the other Aurors, Dawlish asked, "Just what do you think you're doing here Potter? You've done your job, been a good boy, now let the adults do their jobs."

Harry didn't vocally reply, but just banished them all against the heavy oaken doors behind them, splintering the doors into little pieces. Cries of outrage came from the stands in the Courtroom, quickly to silence when they noticed Harry walking in. None of the Aurors were able to stand against him, so Harry ignored them for now.

"Mr. Potter! What are you doing here? It is highly illegal for anyone not sitting in the Wizengamot to disturb a voting."

Harry eyed the little man with the hammer. He'd remembered him from somewhere, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint from where. Dismissing the thought, he scanned the room. Most of the wizards and witches there were familiar. Recognizing more and more faces, Harry's temper started to rise again. Half of the room was filled with 'Imperius Victims' of the First War, or Pureblood sympathizers.

"I'm here in my official capacity as Master of Death. Things are going to change around here." Harry stated coldly. He didn't have time for this shite. He was going to take these bastards done quick and _painfully._

Pointing his wand at the ceiling, Harry murmured _"Morsmordre"_ and a giant green skull flew out of his wand; a snake crawling through the sockets.

"Mr. Potter what is the meaning of this! I'll have you arrested for summoning You-Know-Who's Mark!" The little guy with the hammer called out. Harry still couldn't exactly place him, but seeing the sweat pour off his face made him feel better, so he figured the man wasn't in one of his pleasant memories. Harry quickly performed a _Legilimens_ on the man and scanned through his mind about his plans with the Wizengamot. Recognizing several redheads he wanted to punish, Harry continued with his plan with renewed vigor. Harry pointed the Elder Wand at the Dark Mark and murmured " _Reducto"_.

The effect was instantaneous. The moment Harry's second spell impacted the Dark Mark, the Skull exploded. At the same time, all Death Eaters in the seatings started to scream in pain as the tattoo exploded on their arms, blasting their right arm off. The Wizengamot members not affected by the display sat in shock, some with blood and gore dripping from their robes. Harry smirked and turned to the little man with the hammer. Evidently, he wasn't Marked, but his face was pale and sweating even more than before.

'If I'd let him sweat some more, he might die from dehydration.' Harry thought.

"I believe this is enough evidence that a large part of the _esteemed_ Wizengamot's crawled up Voldemort's arse. Those who have not taken the Dark Mark but sympathize with the cause can submit what they did to the Aurors under Veritaserum. Those not corrupt won't have anything to fear. Meanwhile I'll be breaking Kingsley out of jail."

Harry marched to the exit, but was stopped in his tracks by a toad-like witch clad in pink entering the room, her arms stacked with files. Harry recognized his own file because of the pink parchment attached which read ' _to be punished'._ Before she could do more than shriek, Harry called out.

"OH HELL NO!"

Quickly, Harry stunned and bound her. He picked her up, turned to the Wizengamot and said, "Don't bother with the paperwork or a proper trial. I'll throw her in Kingsley's cell and she's staying there for the rest of her life." Harry was about to leave when he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and if I come back and hear you slandering any war hero, say someone like Tonks or the Weasleys because they kept their position here,- well let's just say that I can do a lot more than just blast off your arms."

With that he turned around and Apparated away, with as much noise as he could muster, right through the Anti-Apparation wards to Azkaban.

 _Azkaban prison – Highest Security Level_

Kingsley shook awake at the noise he heard. His hand went for his wand, when he realized where he was and that he hadn't seen it in months. He couldn't make out who came to see him, but knowing his luck he was already mentally preparing himself for pain.

Smiling, Harry turned to the inmate he was searching for. "Hello Kingsley, let's bust you out of this joint."

Kingsley's eyes lit up when he saw who was addressing him, then eyed the bundle floating behind him.

"H-H-Harry?"

"The one and only. I'd love to chat and catch up, but we've got a lot of work to do." Harry blasted the cell door open and banished Umbridge inside, then helped Kingsley stand. The tall, bald black man had lost a lot of weight since Harry had last seen him, but apparently didn't need any immediate medical care.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to Apparate us to Grimmauld, get you fed and updated, then have you reinstated as Minister. I've got something else to do after that, but you should be okay."

"Al-alright, thanks Harry." Kingsley weakly replied. Harry was a little worried if he should be asking this of someone who spend the last months in Azkaban, but he needed a reliable Minister so it couldn't be helped. Harry applied the strongest locking charms on the cell now occupied by Umbridge, coupled with a charm that repeated the sound of horses galloping every 30 minutes. Happy with his handiwork, he Apparated them both away.

 _Evening_

Seeing Kingsley rip through the Ministry, after having a good meal provided by Kreacher, had been amusing. He threw out half the Wizengamot, canceled all laws they passed in his absence and those passed under Voldemort before working to fix the backlog. He vowed he would make changes how things were run, as well as make the Pureblood-Halfblood-Muggleborn ratio more representative. It was a small step, but at least a step in the right direction.

Now, Harry was looking at his second favorite building in the world. The Burrow still gave him the feeling of belonging, of family, even if the residents didn't feel the same. They would heal, in time. He'd make sure of that, Harry vowed again.

Harry eyed the two envelopes in his hand, addressed to Mr. Weasley and Percy. He could easily let it be delivered by a Ministry Owl, but somehow he knew that they would ignore that. Slowly, he started his track to the Burrow. He knew most of the Weasleys were asleep, or feigning to sleep right now, but Percy wouldn't have noticed hours have passed since he'd sat down outside and Mr. Weasley would still be at the kitchen table. Locating Percy first was easy, as he was sitting directly in his path.

Harry had specific instructions from Fred how to handle Percy, so he knew what to do. He just wasn't looking forward to it. Well, not _much_ anyway. Maybe a little. Taking a few large steps, he stopped right in front of Percy. Quickly casting a _Murmilio_ , he lifted him with one hand, while Percy exclaimed a surprised "Wha-", before Harry punched him in the face.

"That's for not believing me in my Fifth year and being a git!" Harry said to the fallen form of Percy. Both hands pressed against his jaw, he eyed Harry angrily but didn't respond. Harry lifted him to his feet and punched him again, this time aiming for Percy's gut.

"That's for bringing Scrimgeour to the Burrow and making your mother cry!"

Again, Percy did not respond apart from gasping for air. Harry lifted him to his feet again and pulled out his wand. Percy looked a little fearful, but held his ground. Harry admired his bravery, 'Gryffindor through and through' he thought amused. Then he performed several healing charms, clearing Percy's face and healed his ribs.

Finally, Percy responded with a dumbfounded look. "Wha- what are you doing? I don't deserve that. Punch me again!"

"No you don't! I healed you because you came back in time and because it isn't your fault Fred died. Fred knew the risk he was taking when he came to Hogwarts to fight, all of us did." Harry said sternly. Percy eyed him quietly, let it all sink in. Slowly, Percy's face lost the deadened look and did, in Harry's opinion, the most horrible thing he could have done.

Percy started to cry softly and threw his arms around Harry. Mortified, Harry tried to console him by awkwardly patting his back.

'Never thought I'd miss Cho's crying on me.' Harry thought sardonically.

What felt like a century, but were actually a few minutes, Percy let go of Harry. Relieved, Harry quickly handed him one of the Ministry letter.

"This is an apology for trying to question your motives during the War and they hope you will continue your job at the Ministry. Please start working again Percy, they need good men. I don't want to see your post filled by a Death Eater wannabe." When Percy looked unconvinced, Harry went in for the kill.

"Fred wouldn't want you to waste your life away." Harry said, patted Percy's arm and went inside to find the Weasley patriarch. It wasn't that hard. As Harry predicted, Mr. Weasley sat alone in the kitchen, one candle alight.

Mr. Weasley looked even worse than the last time Harry saw him, the bags under his eyes more defined, his cheeks hollow and there were more bald patches on his head. He was holding an empty cup in his hands, but it looked to Harry that Mr. Weasley had forgotten it was there.

Harry cast _Murmilio_ again and this time a Notice-Me-Not Charm as well. He didn't want to be overheard or meet either of the women in the house right now. He cleared his throat but Mr. Weasley simply ignored that.

Tentatively, Harry called out, "Mr. Weasley?" in hopes of getting a response. Still nothing. Mr. Weasley was still staring at the table, like he wasn't even in the room. Harry sighed, Fred had given him a way to get Mr. Weasley back to reality, but he certainly wasn't looking forward to it.

"Fred's disappointed there weren't any fireworks at his funeral."

Harry ducked just in time to avoid the cup flying towards his head. The last man alive Harry saw anything like a father-figure in was staring at him with genuine hatred. With a clenched jaw, he forced out, "Don't talk about my son like that."

Fred had warned him that his father's reaction would be violent and that this course would be necessary, but Harry still felt like the worst person in the world for being the messenger. Slowly, Harry sat down across Mr. Weasley on the kitchen table. He pulled his ring off and placed it on the table.

"Like what? I'm just saying, Fred lived life like it was a big joke. He told me he'd hoped his last goodbye would be a party instead of the tearfest it turned into." Quickly he added, "his words, not mine. I wasn't there you see. In a coma and all."

Mr. Weasley seemed calmer hearing that, but didn't say anything. Harry waited him out, he knew Mr. Weasley would need some time to process everything. After a few minutes of silence, "What do you mean, he told you? He only saw you briefly before the battle and the months before that nobody knew where you were."

Harry smiled, "You are familiar with the story of the three brothers by Beedle the Bard?" Mr. Weasley nodded and his eyes flickered to the ring on the table, "It's true, the Hallows exist and I united them. That makes me the Master of Death. I won't summon Fred for you, because that'll hurt both him and you but he's watching you all and he's concerned."

A tear escaped Mr. Weasley's eye, before he straightens his back and tries to compose himself, "Tell Fred that we'll try more to live up to his expectations," he said, in what was supposed to be a light tone, but failed miserably, as he sounded like he was suffering from a heavy cold. Harry didn't mind though, personal experience taught him that piece of mind doesn't come overnight. Time heals most wounds, but this one would always ache.

Harry picked up the ring again and replaced it with the envelope from the Ministry. "Please return to your job Mr. Weasley, it won't do any good if you mourn Fred by starving yourself to death. The Ministry, and more importantly your family, needs you."

Harry saw a flicker of a smile on Mr. Weasley's face before he accepted the envelope. "Thank you son, I needed to hear that." Harry nodded, and the Weasley patriarch stood up and went up the stairs for the first time in months.

Harry waited a few minutes before he was certain Mr. Weasley wouldn't be coming back and trekked up the stairs as well, Invisibility cloak activated. He stopped on the landing of the first floor and listened to hear if he heard any signs of a nightmare. Happy that all seemed silent, he slowly opened the door of Ginny's room.

Her flaming red hair was spread out over her pillow, making her look like a sleeping lion. She was clutching the stuffed animal Harry conjured only yesterday and slept with a smile. Harry felt a terrible longing at the sight of her and knew he shouldn't have done it, but he just couldn't leave without checking if she was okay. Now that his curiosity was satisfied, Harry closed the door again. Not wanting to risk breaking the wards, or running into Percy who had yet come up, he changed in his Animagus form and vanished into the night.

 **That's all for now. The conversations with the Weasley's were hard, as was the Ministry. I imagine only Molly will be harder to write than Mr. Weasley (and I haven't even started that one!) so I hope the rest will be better. Thoughts? Thanks for all the wonderful feedback, favs and follows! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. For the one negative anonymous comment (typical), I know he's overreacting, that's Harry. He doesn't do things by halves.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters.

 **Chapter 6.**

 **Tonks' Residence**

"Thank you for your help, and I appreciate your efforts during the war but if this is your way to bribe me to hand Teddy's custody I'm afraid you will leave a very disappointed man, Mr. Potter." The stern witch before him said. One the one hand, Harry was glad Teddy still had a family member that loved him with such fierce abandon. On the other hand, he wished she wasn't questioning his motives and just give him some time alone with _his_ Godson.

'Then again, she was a Black and a Slytherin to top it off. Maybe it's part of her upbringing.' He thought morosely, as he scanned the pictures on her mantle. Her husband, daughter and son-in-law were smiling at them. All dead now.

"Mrs. Tonks, I have no intention of taking Teddy's custody from you, but I'd like to get to know my Godson. Sirius was my Godfather and he did everything in his power to let me know my parents loved me. Remus always made time to help me out and Tonks risked her life for me on more than one occasion. I owe it to them to let their son know what amazing people they were." Harry said.

Mrs. Tonks relaxes a little, but kept her haughty mask on. "I can imagine raising a baby is hard work," Harry said, and he swore Mrs. Tonks snorted in amusement, but her expression betrayed nothing. "I would like you to have Kreacher around whenever you need him. He'd love to serve the Noble and Ancient House of Black again."

She eyed the sleeping baby, now sporting a turquoise afro. Today Teddy had been good, but he sure had energy in abundance. 'Just like her mother,' Andromeda thought.

Eventually, she nodded, "That is appreciated. Thank you, Mr. Potter."

"Harry, please."

The first smile of the day broke through her mask, Harry noted. "Call me Andromeda, Andy if you prefer."

Harry smiled back, "Thank you, Andromeda." It would be a while before he was comfortable enough calling her Andy.

"Now, if you want to take care of my grandson there are several things to learn. First, changing his diaper and feeding him properly..."

 _St. Mungos, several hours later_

The clinical cleanness of hospitals always made Harry cringe. It felt too detached. In his opinion healing required warmth, which was non-existent in the large entryway of St. Mungos. Patiently, he waited at the reception. In front of him stood a man with a third leg attached to his head and a man in desperate need of a Hangover Potion.

After a few minutes, it was his turn and the witch behind the reception didn't even look up from her paperwork. Bored, she just said "Yes?"

"I'm here to visit some of the victims of the Battle of Hogwarts, can you tell me which floor I need to be?"

"Who do you want to see? Most are on the Fourth floor, Heather Pollingtonious Ward but one is on the first floor, Dai Llewellyn Ward."

Thanking the witch, Harry quickly moved out of line to let the witch behind him move to the counter, who'd just started to violently puke. Making his way to the first floor, he was send back to his fifth year when Mr. Weasley was bitten. Realization sunk in, he knew immediately who was placed there. Indignant fury rose, making his adrenaline pump and gave him the energy to sprint to the Ward. Without knocking, he swung open the door and the sole occupant of the room jumped a little in her bed.

When she saw who came to visit her, her eyes went wide but her shoulders slumped a little. "Hello Harry,"

"Hello Lavender, how are you?" Harry asked, while slowly entering the room. His heart thumped heavily against his chest, but he tried to stay as calm as possible for his classmate. A little nervous, he sat down in a hard wooden chair next to her bed.

She laughed, but it was a bitter one. She eyed him up and down, sizing him up. "I've been in this bloody room for almost 4 months, what do you think?"

Before Harry could reply, she spoke again, a little annoyed, "Cut the crap Harry, you never were one for small talk. What do you want?"

Feeling a pang of loss, seeing his chatty, gossiping classmate reduced to a bitter, hurting patient whose right side of her face was covered in heavy bandages, Harry gave her a concerned look. "Why are you still here? Greyback wasn't transformed, so it shouldn't take more than a week or two to heal those wounds."

Confused, Lavender stared at him. Then, it all seemed to click, "Oh, of course! You've been in a coma yourself." A scowl formed on her face, "To answer that, my mother was concerned I might be infected and had me placed here. I'm not allowed to leave, even after 3 full moons without transforming."

"So, there's nothing wrong with you? No side effects?" Harry asked, checking out her bandaged ribs and face.

Lavender shook her head, "I didn't say that. The scars still hurt," Then she added with a small smile, "Seamus complains that I'm having a monthly twice a month."

Mortified, Harry blushed a little. Then he pulled out the Elder wand with a hard glance. Instinctively, Lavender crossed her arms over her ribs and looked scared. His eyes softened a little, seeing the scared girl in front of him.

"I'm here to help you. I can't make any promises, but do you give me permission to try?"

Lavender looked lost for a moment, suddenly she looked much younger than the battle-hardened veteran she was. Then, her face hardened and nodded, her mind made up, "You taught me to defend myself in my fifth year, even after I doubted your word at the beginning of the year. It saved my life when the Carrow's and Slytherins made Hogwarts hell. I trust you completely Harry."

Pride, gratefulness and sorrow battled in Harry's chest. He knew Hogwarts was hell last year, but there was nothing more he could've done for them. Instead of dwelling on these feelings, he used them to fuel his magic. He cut away the bandages, careful not to harm the skin underneath. When those fell away Harry didn't grimace, remembering how much he hated people staring at his scar.

Focusing solely on the damaged skin, Harry lightly pressed the Elder wand on it and mumbled " _Evanesco"_. Slowly, inch by inch, the damage began to disappear. Finally, only a pale white line stood out on her face. He repeated the spell on her ribs, while Lavender watched him work with wide eyes.

"A vanishing spell. Really?" Harry nodded and chuckled at her dumbfounded expression.

"Don't tell the Healers the spell I used, they won't believe you. It takes too much power and control for them to use anyway." She confirmed she wouldn't, Harry told her he had other patients to visit and left after receiving a bone-crushing hug. Before he closed the door, he saw Lavender cry with a huge smile on her face.

A quick Patronus alerted Seamus that he should see Lavender as soon as possible. Harry smirked, he knew his Irish little friend would come running now. Heading to the 4th floor, he passed Seamus, heard him rapidly yell, "Hi-Harry-good-to-see-you-in-a-hurry-bye-Harry!" and continued his sprint to the Heather Pollingtonious Ward.

Opening the door there, he was amazed at the size of the Ward. At least 25 beds were made, all occupied.

"Harry!"

"Harry?"

"You're awake!"

At least 20 voices jumbled together to greet him. Everyone was happy to see him up and about. Most of the people in the ward were at the Battle; none showed any sign of leaving soon. Everywhere he looked he felt traces of Dark Magic, ranging from curses that would haunt someone's great-great-grandchildren to _Crucio_.

Harry nodded to everyone, before raising his hand. Immediately, everyone was silent. Eyeing everyone warily, thinking that he rather not know the answer, but still asked, "Let me guess, the Ministry, or some random relative, thought it was necessary to place you all here without a wand?" His statement got some angry nods, "And none of you are actively being treated by a Healer, right?" Again, he was met with nods. The entire room was waiting for his command, Harry realized with a start.

'Well, who am I to disappoint them?' He thought with a smile. His thought wandered to Ron and Hermione, his parents telling him they were proud of him, little Teddy morphing his skin the same shade of green as Harry's eyes. He pulled out the Elder Wand, placing it in his right hand, as well as his Holly in his left.

 _"_ _Expecto Patronum!"_

A huge silver stag burst free from his Holly wand, followed by a huge dog from the Elder. The two beasts circled each other, before dashing off to the other side of the room, dispelling the heavy atmosphere and the lingering effects of some of the Dark curses that still lingered.

"Wow Harry, I've never seen anyone do _that_!" Neville said, eyeing the stag with a look of admiration.

"But-but-but you're not supposed to do that! You can't have _two_ Patronuses!" Padma Patil yelled, obviously distressed. Harry smiled at her, which made her breathing even more irregular. Terry Boot gave him an annoyed look which baffled Harry. He wasn't doing anything! He raised an eyebrow, and Terry averted his gaze, while Padma blushed and looked downcast. _Oh._ He winked at Terry, then motioned for Terry to grab her hand. Terry's fear shone through his eyes, which amused Harry greatly, but after a moment's hesitation the studious Ravenclaw grabbed Padma's hand, making her smile.

Harry coughed.

"Padma, who taught you how to do a Patronus?" Her Indian heritage didn't show her blush much, but her skin became even darker as she answered, "You did," in a shy voice.

Harry clapped his hands, "Exactly, so stop worrying. I know what I'm doing. Everything will be fine!" Turning to the rest, he eyed Katie Bell lying catatonic in a bed, Oliver Wood with his left arm in a sling and several cuts in his face, Parvati Patil with only a stump for her right arm, Hannah Abbot had burn marks on the skin visible for Harry and the list went on and on.

Fueling his magic, Harry walked to the first bed, "Well, let's get you all up and running again!"

 **Closed Ward, 5** **th** **floor of St. Mungos**

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" A now healthy Neville Longbottom asked.

"Of course not, I've never done this before you know. Never stopped me before, did it?" Harry replied, angling his wand and moving the unresponsive patient slightly to the left.

"I-I guess. Still, we're going to muddle through my parents' minds on a hunch." Neville said uncertainly. They'd left the Heather Pottington Ward a while ago, all occupants cured and in possession of their wands. Harry gave him a hard look.

"Neville, first of all, we're doing it on _Dumbledore's_ hunch. Second, do you really think we can damage their minds even _more_?"

Neville winced, and Harry instantly felt bad for being harsh but he needed Neville on his side. Harry handed him the Elder Wand. Neville eyed it warily, still looking uncertain. Harry put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Neville, it's going to be okay. Worst case scenario, nothing changes. Best case? You'll have your parents back."

Neville's eyes lit up, straightened his back and squared his shoulders, "Right. Let's do this."

Harry nodded, and walked a few steps backwards, his Holly wand in his hand.

"Alright, whenever you're ready Neville." Harry said, and got a confirming nod from his friend.

Neville aimed at Harry, and yelled, " _Legilimens!"_

As the spell flew out of the Elder Wand, Harry carefully waved his Holly Wand, " _Protego"._

Normally, reflecting the curse would give Harry an insight in Neville's brain. But since Neville used the Elder wand, it gave Harry some control over the spell and deflected it towards the still form of Frank Longbottom.

Instantly, Harry felt himself pulled into Frank's mind. Looking around, Harry notices several memories still intact. Most are about his family, Hogwarts or Auror training. To his left, Neville's examining a memory of him as a baby, playing with a raven-haired boy. Shocked, Harry realizes he's watching himself when he was a baby.

Focusing on the task at hand, Harry looks around at the memories not intact, which is around 75%. Harry quietly took back the Elder wand and starts shepherding the broken memories together. Slowly, the memories all blend together like rainbow colored ball. Then, Harry started to push his magic into it, very slowly moving the parts of memories back to the right memory. Every time a memory successfully repaired itself, it fell out of the ball and started to float around like the good memories. Neville examined as much of them as possible, to make sure they really were fixed.

After what felt like a year, all memories had left the orb and were floating around. Harry felt his head pound, his breathing was laboured and surely Harry felt some sort of magical resistance forming against him. Neville's breathing hitched, so he probably felt it too.

Quickly, Harry moved to his friend and pulled both out of Frank Longbottom's mind. The weird blobs and memories dissolved around them and for a moment everything was black. Then, Harry experienced the familiar feeling of doing a slow-motion somersault and the Ward came back into focus.

"Hello Harry Potter, you're done clearing the Wrackspurts away I see."

Turning around, Harry found his favorite blond sitting next to Alice Longbottom, braiding the older females' hair.

Harry smiled, "Hello Luna, what are you doing?"

"I'm braiding Mrs. Longbottom's hair. I thought that was obvious, Harry Potter."

"I meant here Luna, why aren't you heading home?" Harry said exasperated. Normally, he preferred Luna's company over most people, but with the building headache from the extended intrusion in Frank Longbottom's mind he felt drained. And he still needed to fix Mrs. Longbottom's mind.

"I'm relaxing Mrs. Longbottom's mind, Harry Potter. This will make it easier for you and Neville to remove the Wrackspurts. Honestly Harry, entering someone's mind without relaxing them first trips off the Wrackspurts. Everybody knows that." Luna said, almost in a berating tone.

"Erm. Of course. Thanks Luna." Harry said, eyeing Neville in hopes of some support. Neville though still stared at his father's bed, ignoring the other occupants of the room. After a while, he tore his gaze away and bowed his head. Quietly, Neville said "It didn't work, did it?"

Before Harry could respond, Luna spoke up, "Of course it did, Neville. He just needs some time to adjust to the silence in his mind. He'll come to you when he's ready." Neville stared at the small blond girl with the large blue eyes as if seeing her for the very first time.

She walked up to him and nudged him gently, "Don't worry about your father, you have another parent to help. She's waiting for you."

Neville nodded, and angled himself between Alice and Harry, fingering the Elder Wand impatiently.

"Ready?" Harry nodded.

 _"_ _Legilimens!"_

 _"_ _Protego"_

Just like before, Alice's mind was in scrambles. However, the memories weren't moving as erratically.

'So, Luna's right after all.' Harry thought impressed, while directing the memories in a bubble.

Repeating the same process as before, Harry and Neville worked diligently to piece Mrs. Longbottom's mind back together.

 **Several hours later**

Harry closed the door to the Ward, sealing of the emotional reunion of the family of three to the rest of the world. He closed his eyes and sighed. Today had gone well, his friends were fine. Physically, at least. Quickly, he turned and almost ran to the exit. He was just slightly exhausted- he just had to get back at Grimmauld Place fast before someone ruined it-

"Are you leaving without saying goodbye, Harry Potter?" an airy, voice called out. Only experience let Harry know there was a slight accusation mixed in her tone.

Sliding to a halt, Harry turned to answer "Sorry Luna, completely forgot you were here." Eyeing her up and down, "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be with your father? I know he missed you terribly."

Luna's lips thinned, "Yes, well I'm very disappointed in him at the moment. I don't know if I can forgive him for trying to bargain with your lives for my freedom."

Harry was shocked, Luna was the most forgiving person he knew. "Luna, I'm not holding that against him. What he tried to do was wrong, but he did it to save you. He was desperate." Harry said, hoping to placate the girl in front of him. Taking in her form, she still looked malnourished and her eyes were haunted. At least after the Battle, some of steel left her stare and the more natural far-away look shone through more often.

Luna only shrugged, so Harry continued, "The way he stood, he reminded me of my mum. Besides, the information he gave me helped me defeat Voldemort, so I can't really be mad at him."

Luna's silvery eyes widened, "Really?" Harry nodded. Luna seemed to think this over, staying quiet for several minutes. Then she waved her arms around, almost like swatting away insects, before her face fell again, as if disappointed in the result.

"Well then, I might be able to forgive him in time." She hesitated, "Just, not yet. I'll go home tonight, but I'm not ready to forgive him. Not until the Floundering Glitterfay's left my head."

Harry struggled to keep a straight face, but managed to reply, "That's great Luna! Don't worry, forgiveness takes time."

Side by side they walked towards the exit in silence. Harry thinking about the events since he woke up; Luna was absentmindedly humming a tune. When they reached their destination, Harry turned to Luna, uncertain how to say goodbye.

Luna held no such reservations, and hugged him happily. When she released him, she kissed him on the lips, shocking him.

"Thank you for everything, Harry Potter. I'm glad you're my friend. You make me happy, I hope you'll be happy soon as well. I think it would help if you talk to Gin- ".

A soft pop was her answer, as a note floated where Harry stood. Curiously, Luna read it. Then she smacked her hand against her face.

"Flaming Nargles! Harry Potter, what have you done?"

 **That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the views, favorites, follows and every single review! For the real Potterfans out there, you should know Heather Pollingtonious, she's a real Healer! She compiled** ** _The Healer's Helpmate._**

 **Let me know what you think about the story so far!**

 **PS: Longest chapter so far!**


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